Overview
With the exception of a few notable instances of large-scale layoffs due to consolidation, ad agency employment has remained relatively flat over the past few years.
The most recent data from Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that ad agency jobs totaled 218,300 in November of 2025. That’s down 2,700 jobs MoM and 2,300 YoY. Five years ago, ad agency employment stood at roughly 212,000 jobs.
As with all industries broadly, the forecasted widescale impact of AI on white collar positions has not yet been seen in labor data. However, estimates, such as that by Goldman Sachs, suggest that nearly 7% of all workers could be displaced over the next 10 years as broader adoption of AI by firms is seen. These job reductions, which are already taking place in earnest in tech sectors, are expected to primarily impact those in the knowledge and creative sectors.
Forrester forecasts that U.S. ad agencies will automate 7.5% of jobs by 2030. And the impact is anticipated to be primarily felt among entry-level positions.
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, recently raised eyebrows by suggesting that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in the next one to five years. Last year, Stanford, using ADP payroll data, found that employment for younger workers in AI-impacted jobs have already declined by 16% since 2022.
Where AI’s impact may already be surfacing in regards to ad agencies is in new hiring and plans for new hiring moving forward.
A survey by Sunup, a B2B tech branding agency, conducted among senior US agency leaders found that 91% expect AI to reduce agency headcounts with 57% saying they have slowed or paused entry-level hiring. Adweek reported last year that staff-level jobs at U.S. ad agencies were down 10% since 2022, and eMarketer identified that workers aged 20-24 currently comprise just 6.5% of the total agency industry, down from 10.5% in 2019.
While no one can make a certain assessment as to how AI, which itself is rapidly evolving, will impact advertising agencies in the future or influence their staffing and hiring needs, current trends suggest entry-level positions, whose functions are most readily replicated and perfected by AI, would seem to be most at risk.
This is leading the advertising industry to a period of acute tension, creating a structural paradox.
Talent is the “defining strategic imperative” for absorbing disruption, yet the primary pipeline for developing that talent is being constrained.
Historically, agencies relied on an apprenticeship model where junior employees developed judgment, creative taste and client management skills by watching decisions get made. By treating these roles as short-term costs rather than long-term investments, agencies risk creating a “hollowed-out” middle management for the next decade. Leaders warn that “quietly killing” the apprenticeship model removes the training ground where future leaders learn the craft.
While AI’s impact is being felt on entry-level hiring presently, it does portend a future leadership crisis. With fewer “juniors,” the result may be fewer future VPs and Directors in the years ahead.
How will a prolonged de-emphasis on entry-level hiring impact agencies in the future? And with the job functions of early-career positions being largely replaced by AI, what will agencies need from junior employees moving forward and what skills will they seek?
The Current Agency View
AI Is Reshaping Entry-Level Agency Work
Agencies are not simply cutting back on hiring because of economic pressure. AI is fundamentally changing how work gets done, especially repetitive and execution-based tasks traditionally handled by junior employees. While overall agency employment has remained relatively stable, many leaders believe AI integration will continue reducing certain types of entry-level work. The greatest impact will likely be felt in junior hiring and workforce planning.
Evaluate how AI is changing workflows while ensuring automation does not entirely eliminate early-career development opportunities that support long-term talent growth.
While AI’s impact on entry-level positions might not be yet fully reflected in labor data, among the agencies spoken to for this white paper, the perception certainly exists that AI’s effect is being felt now and will only grow.
Donne Walsh, CMO and CDO of Lamark, an independent performance agency commented, “I am 100% aligned on the notion that AI is having an impact on entry level. Opportunities for junior hires are not abundant. Layoffs that we have seen have been reasonably evenly distributed in a vertical structure, but new hiring is where there is some impact on the lower levels.”
Justin Thomas-Copeland, CEO of the 4As, says the pressure on entry-level positions is something that has steadily been growing and that AI has only further intensified it.
“There’s no doubt a decrease in the number of seats at entry level. But that’s because, structurally, there’s an industry change. And we have to understand that’s just in many ways progression. Now, of course, AI has hyper-accelerated that progression, where it feels almost aggressive, much more aggressive than in any sort of disruptive time that I’ve been in the industry.”
Thomas-Copeland continued, “In conversations with founders, CEOs and executive teams in the broadest range of U.S. agencies, I’m seeing a consistent sense of ‘okay, this is real, and we are not going to be hiring’.”
Caroline Winterton, former CEO of DDB, says talent overall is facing challenges even without taking into consideration AI.
I believe that consolidation and restructuring have made us accidentally short-sighted about talent overall. In the push to streamline and optimize financials, junior roles started getting treated like a cost to manage instead of a pipeline to build. I believe that’s a mistake. Early-career talent is how you build your future leaders.
Caroline Winterton, former CEO of DDB
“If we don’t invest early, we pay for it later as that amazing talent goes elsewhere, and at least for us, when we couldn’t hire, many of the independents snatched up amazing talent,” she adds.
How It Is Impacting the Industry
The Real Risk Is the Weakening of the Talent Pipeline
Fewer entry-level opportunities today could create leadership gaps tomorrow. As traditional apprenticeship models continue to erode, agencies risk losing the environments where future leaders historically developed judgment, craft, mentorship and client management skills. Talent development must be viewed as a long-term strategic investment.
Rethink and intentionally build mentorship, exposure and career development into increasingly leaner and more hybrid workplace environments.
Whether it is from consolidation, margin pressures or AI, most say talent reductions are already impacting agencies, with potentially long-term consequences.
What we are seeing across the board is alarming in that there is a gap forming at the bottom of the talent pyramid that’s starting to get bigger and bigger. It’s scary, because talent is the system through which agencies will absorb disruption, period.
Sylvia Banderas Coffinet, Executive Vice President of People, Talent & Upskilling, 4As
“Talent is the defining strategic imperative of the next era in media and advertising, because as there are fewer entry-level roles, the talent that we do have to grow into leadership, that pool grows smaller and smaller. Therefore, it is more important than ever that we’re nourishing it, and giving it the resources and the attention talent deserves, and investing accordingly, because we are not growing our pipelines the way we should be.”
The global chief people officer of a creative and communications network says, “The biggest threat to advertising’s future pipeline isn’t AI. It’s the erosion of the apprenticeship model. If we remove the entry layer of the industry, we also remove the place where future leaders learn the craft.”
Winterton echoed those comments. “We’ve quietly killed the apprenticeship model. Talent used to learn by being around great people – listening in, watching decisions get made, seeing what good actually looks like. Hybrid work, flatter teams, and constant pressure on margins have stripped a lot of that away. If we don’t replace it with something intentional, we’ll end up with leaders who know the tools but don’t have taste, judgment, or people skills the industry needs.”
The impact of AI on agencies is not just affecting junior positions. Mid-management is also facing significant changes as workflow integrations advance.
“Pressure is being felt in the mid-level tier. This is causing substantial dissatisfaction for people that are kind of stuck in that messy middle because they’re not getting support, there’s no real growth opportunity for them,” says Banderas Coffinet. “We used to have very clear career paths that were linear. That is no longer the case. Now, it’s more about skill stacking. All of this is coming together at once. We can say that it’s AI, but the truth is, I’m not really sure that is not us taking a myopic view. I think it’s a combination of many factors.”
“Mid-level employees are in a tough situation,” says Williams. “The expectation of mid-level employees or management is more around influence than it’s been in the past – influencing positive outcomes for the business. And the sacrifice could just be more junior-level employees. If for some reason this middle-level manager leading a team of five isn’t able to create demand for those five, that’s when middle management becomes sacrificial.” Historically there was some value to being able to motivate a team, to keep people on time and disciplined in their product delivery— to create a connection between senior leadership and the day-to-day operation from a cultural standpoint.
Williams added, “Today, I feel like we’ve kind of moved toward ‘can middle management become a growth engine for the commercial entity?’ I think this is where we’ve done ourselves a disservice in believing that those skill sets could be or should be synonymous. I don’t know too many middle managers who are creating business opportunities, but I do know people who have grown over time who can successfully facilitate and operationalize more business. I think that’s the weird pivot in the road, where it’s like, hey, you’ve been working for a few years within marketing services and now the expectation is that you’re a salesperson and an operator, not just a person who’s technically talented and can manage a team.”
“The elephant in the room for junior level staff is when they look to move up,” notes Thomas-Copeland. “Beforehand, you would see a version of yourself that was more experienced, had done bigger things. You could slot yourself into that mental model of what you were moving up into.”
He added, “The issue in the industry at the moment is that the entry-level people look up, and they don’t necessarily see that mental model as self-evident. Because middle management is being squeezed. They’re the ones that have to unlearn the last 10, 15 years, and relearn this industry, and do it in a way that keeps them ahead of the emerging talent. You’ve invested a decade, a decade and a half, and now it’s under question. Now the people that you’re leading, many of them have probably got more hard skills in terms of being digitally native, they’re much more practitioners, more malleable and much more that sort of T-shaped skill set than maybe you are. Agencies are saying, how do I get those entry-level people to stick around, and what do I show them that they can see that there’s a future? Because it isn’t so much the traditional middle management where you look up and see yourself. You see the gap that exists.”
But many feel the changes underway are not all negative for agencies and, in fact, may be helping to spur needed innovation and change.
“It’s not just because of AI, but the very nature of the expectations of work are changing, what people value, what people expect in terms of the kind of work they do,” says Chad Maxwell, President, KSM Media. “This is why offshoring and onshoring became very popular, besides just the profitability portion of it. Some of that work is offloading work that people didn’t want to do. It’s very repetitive, very manual, very process-oriented. So, I think it’s worth remembering the upside here is a potential change in what the remit, role, contribution and integration of junior-level talent looks like.”
Thomas-Copeland notes that the staffing changes being brought about by AI can also help bring about new opportunities.
“At the small to medium end, the thinking is if I can implement technology in a smart way, I can reposition myself much more to be that trusted advisor, higher margin, deeper in the business partner. There’s always this sort of management as the scale gets bigger, where clients of scale feel, I’ve got to keep a semblance of control. Whereas at the medium and smaller end, and the independent end of the scale, there is a thought that this could be a change in our relationship. And I don’t think we’re talking about some of those positives and dynamics quite enough.”
The other thing I would say that it’s doing is driving innovation. I’ve seen an agency build a product based on agentic technology, which, arguably, they probably wouldn’t have done had they not been in the situation that we’re in. So, they’re productizing their offering, and now they’re looking at a different business model of licensing, enabling them to service bigger clients.
Justin Thomas-Copeland, CEO, 4As
“These could be, like, kernels of IP development in the biggest engagements. They just happen to be 200 people in a certain part of the US doing some fantastic work, opening a whole new business and entrepreneurship for their company. So, it’s not all doom and gloom,” he says.
How Agencies Are Responding
Programs Are Becoming More Strategic
4As programs like “I’m New Here” and MAIP are direct responses to the industry’s changing talent needs. These initiatives are more than onboarding or internship programs. They’re important infrastructure for accelerating AI readiness, strengthening strategic thinking and helping emerging talent build stronger professional connections earlier in their careers.
Consider investing in structured onboarding, mentorship and early-career development programs that support both retention and long-term workforce readiness.
Though the full impact on agencies and entry-level positions from AI integrations are still uncertain, many are moving aggressively to ensure that skills for those being brought on will be in line with how needs are changing.
Stacey Martin, Chief People and Culture Officer, PMG, says her company is intentionally moving away from traditional, less human-centered hiring (as is happening across the ad industry) toward a technology-enabled, early-career-focused talent strategy. This, she notes. reflects a deep belief that the future of the company depends on new ways of thinking and working.
She says, unlike most of the ad industry, PMG is intentionally doubling down on early-career hiring through structured programs that are seen as core to the company’s future, not experimental. PMG encourages embracing AI at every level and they’ve found early career talent embraces it readily. AI is framed as a way to free time for deeper client relationships, not as a cost-cutting or headcount-reduction narrative.
For the Global Chief People Officer of a creative and communications network, the focus is on development systems rather than one-off programs. She says her agency is investing in clearer career frameworks so people understand how roles evolve and what skills matter at each stage.
They have also shifted toward more continuous development conversations rather than annual reviews in recognition of the fact that learning happens in real time. Mentorship is another priority, with high-performing senior talent playing an active role in developing the next generation, not just managing them. She notes the goal is to create an environment where talented people can see a future for themselves and build the skills to get there.
Nancy Galanty, EVP of Talent and Culture for Horizon says her agency is experiencing the AI transformation as a learning and development opportunity.
“We are very focused on leaning into AI platforms and tools across all of our disciplines in order to optimize our talent experience across all levels. So first and foremost, we’re very focused on how we are equipping our employees to be successful within the tools that we are providing them.”
“We brought in an outside partner and had really significant L and D goals for the organization to become AI experts. We also have a planning tool, which is driving all of the work on behalf of our clients. The agency developed a training curriculum tied to the tool with certification for completion. So, over the last year, we’ve been very focused on AI adoption through capability, comfortability, confidence and an understanding of how we want them to use the tools and what parameters around tool use exist from a compliance standpoint.”
“Now we’re focused on moving from a foundational understanding into a structural usage base that can get us to a place where the promise of these tools and technologies is felt within each of the roles across our organization. We’re going to get really tactical around level by level by level. What does this mean for you and your work function and your day-to-day responsibilities? And how can we leverage this technology in a way where you are confidently, more nimble, agile, efficient, optimized within your workflow. We have always been entrepreneurial, innovative and moved quickly. So, we took a beat with this and says, we can’t move fast unless we’re bringing all of our employees along.”
We are in a critical thinking race, not an arms and a tool and a technology race alone, because technology without strategy is just running really fast without a destination.
Chad Maxwell, President, KSM Media
“So, the question becomes for junior-level employees, how can you teach critical thinking and marketing-based problems quicker so that they can connect the dots? To me, the real opportunity for junior-level talent is coming in and not doing myopically one job, one system, one channel, one client. But to start to think about how the pieces connect, and to be a horizontal integrator and to get the critical thinking skills to solve client business problems as a junior thinker, a junior strategist, versus a junior button pusher.”
Arm Candy, a Southwest full-service media intelligence agency has taken a significantly different approach to addressing the changes brought about AI by increasing their entry-level hiring.
“We’ve had a string of wins and we had the opportunity to focus on automation or double down on our people, and so we actually are strategically prioritizing hiring across all roles, but actually doubling the number of junior-level associates that we’re bringing into the agency,” notes agency CEO and Founder John Lods. “Our point of view is, if you believe associates can be fully automated by AI, that’s usually a result of you turning them into taskmasters and not strategic thinkers.”
The decision really is more around, are you going to invest in your people and turn them into the future leaders? Or are you going to take a short-term stance, automate some mundane tasks, and drive short-term profitability, but sacrifice long-term career development and personal development for all the future leaders of the advertising industry? There’s a ton of opportunity with AI and automation, but it’s going to be led by human intelligence not artificial intelligence.
John Lods, CEO and Founder, Arm Candy
The 4As has taken an active role in helping junior agency hires navigate the changes underway brought about by AI through their “I’m New Here” initiative. The program offers those new to the agency world a range of guidance and assistance through monthly programming, regular networking with peers, insights and counsel from industry professionals, events and on-demand training and workshops. Spanning 97 unique agencies, INH is redefining the junior skill set. Through training in Gen AI essentials and brand strategy, INH moves employees from “button-pushers” toward “Horizontal Integrators”—professionals who connect dots across channels to solve complex client problems.
The program was designed to help early-career agency professionals manage how AI is changing how work looks for them, as well as aid in onboarding and building connections in an environment of hybrid and remote work. The program looks to teach the reality of the agency world, from decoding agency jargon to understanding what a client really wants.
“It’s our stake in the ground, our visible proof point, that the 4As is confident that talent sits at the intersection of the evolution that’s taking place right now, of how junior roles are being reshaped and restructured and how onboarding can vary across agencies,” says Banderas Coffinet.
“This is a community-first initiative. It’s all about reflecting how young people are learning through context and conversation, how we can create this idea of intentional connection,” she adds. “But at the same time, what I’m learning more and more as the conversations evolve is that the real need is human connection. People just don’t have access to community the way we used to have in the industry. You know, where you could go to a happy hour after work or, you’re at the office and you’re just building relationships with interdepartmental buddies because you’re all having lunch at the same space. This is harder and harder to come by. And so, so much of what we’re doing right now is being intentional about creating these opportunities where people can connect, learn and grow together.”
Additionally, the 4As and the 4As Foundation are offering a practical response to the current environment by reframing entry-level talent as a strategic asset. The goal is to evolve the hire rather than stop hiring.
Part of that effort is the MAIP program. With more than 3,000 alumni worldwide, MAIP serves as the nation’s largest engine for “Day One” ready talent and the industry’s primary L&D lab for solving the erosion of the traditional apprenticeship model. It demonstrates that intentional internships can accelerate expertise in AI, strategy and analytics for example. MAIP fellows bring the new ways of thinking and working that agencies need to stay competitive.
The Hiring Criteria Agencies Are Looking For Today
Agencies Are Redefining What Junior Talent Looks Like
The future entry-level employee is less task executor and more strategic, cross-functional problem solver. While AI fluency is essential, critical thinking, curiosity, communication, collaboration and adaptability will matter most. Future junior employees must be better equipped to connect strategy, creativity, analytics and AI-enabled systems.
Hiring and development models may need to shift toward identifying adaptable, strategically minded talent with both AI fluency and strong human-centered skills.
Interestingly, while all agencies spoken with cited AI proficiency as a critical skill they were looking for in new hires, the most important criteria identified were very human-centric.
Winterton says, “They’ll need strong judgment, taste, and the ability to frame problems. AI literacy matters, but so does critical thinking, storytelling and knowing when not to use the tool. We need to invest in both sides of the equation.”
The Global Chief People Officer of a creative and communications network offered that there are three top criteria for what they are seeing in new hires. “First, critical thinking. AI can generate options, but humans still decide what is meaningful, relevant and culturally right. Second, taste and judgment. Great advertising requires understanding culture, people and nuance. And third, collaboration. The work increasingly happens across disciplines – strategy, creative, technology and data. Junior talent who can think, collaborate and adapt will thrive regardless of the tools.”
“We’re in this moment of change where all of the roles, all the systems, still need to have those organizational skills, attention to detail, because the entry-level role is still very execution based,” says Galanty.
“We need to provide our teams with talent that can succeed right now, but at the same time, we also are understanding that we need to bring talent that is drawn to the evolution of media and have that AI fluency. I think there’s this common misconception that this generation coming out of school all have those AI tech skills, but we’re finding that that’s actually not the case. In university they’re being told that AI is cheating and they shouldn’t be relying on AI platforms. They’re coming in not actually knowing how this is a tool. So we have to assess that. Because we’re assuming that they’re coming in with AI fluency, and they are not.”
Thomas-Copeland notes new hires are expected to be data literate, as well as to use that data for analysis and be proficient in content development. “At a micro level, there’s just a confluence of different converged skills that are being asked for that are almost like a series of department briefs.
“They’re going to need to be the accelerators. If I was going to run an agency, my entry-level hires are going to be my sparks. They’re going to be the free spirits with the convergence of skills that I’m going to apply to clients, and I’m going to give them a certain freedom.”
“The competitive spirit is a big criterion,” notes Williams. “You have to be able to communicate and manage up, be able to understand whether or not a project is progressing or if there are barriers that need to be overcome. And you have to like positive, productive, good work. That needs to be an incentive for a person, not just showing up and punching a time card.”
“If we’re not hiring for a specific discipline, hiring has become very qualitative. Maybe it always was, but I don’t remember it being such a heavy focus on things like curiosity, team collaboration, ability to manage up, communicate effectively, problem-solving and critical thinking, more so than a specific area of either educational focus or recent work experience.”
“We’ve always been a very math-based, statistical, finance-led organization,” says Lods. “And when I say finance, I mean someone who is good at numbers, stats, analytics, because there’s been a convergence. Creative used to dominate the advertising industry for a long time, and now the science aspects of advertising and what we refer to as investment management, media planning and buying has really taken form. So, we’ve always prioritized statistics, finance and analytical thinkers that can engineer and help automate systems that help our people, not necessarily cut costs. I think, yes, people are going to get more technical, more comms-driven.”
“Besides the critical thinking element, it’s going to be communication standards,” says Maxwell. “Someone who can simplify the complex, communicate roadmaps, and provide clarity around a plan of attack or a solution to make sure it’s accessible. It won’t be enough to be skittish or junior in regards to communication because, we all know that communication clarity is where a close or a loss can happen, or where an idea can convert or not. And that’s really important.”
Redefining Entry-Level Positions for the Future
While undoubtedly AI fluency will be a part of entry-level functions moving forward, the rapidly changing, and uncertain, environment that AI is introducing into agency functions has many anticipating that adaptability skills such as critical thinking and inquisitiveness will be needed as well.
“The romantic in me thinks future entry-level jobs will be part entrepreneurialism, like, identifying a new way to expand the breadth of service that a marketing services company could provide,” says Williams. “And then another part will be a business solutions person. It’s this hybrid of how does strategy combine with day-to-day operations to deliver the max amount of value? It will be a much more entrepreneurial gig than it’s been in the past. A little bit open-ended, and getting way further upstream with clients than you have historically. They will be like a solutions architect versus a media planner or an account manager.”
“I look at it as a creative data and AI fluency hybrid,” Banderas Coffinet notes. “There is going to be an expectation that you will have full AI literacy and know how to manage agents. That you will be able to work with a human-machine hybrid. You’re not just using analytic tools, you’re creating an AI version of yourself that helps you use those tools at a much higher, more, demanding level. And you’re managing that output, and you are having the judgment and discernment to know what is a good output or what isn’t.”
She says what is needed is a new talent model that looks at entry-level positions as a horizontal Integrator. AI allows agencies to offload repetitive, manual work, Banderas Coffinet says. This creates an opportunity for junior talent to act as strategic partners, repositioning agencies as trusted advisors through technology implementation; as IP Developers, moving from a labor-based model to an intellectual property model, such as building products based on agentic technology; and as critical thinkers, focusing on capability, comfortability and confidence with AI tools to solve marketing problems faster.
“The number one quality associates and junior-level talent in the future will need to have is really curiosity and a resourcefulness to teach themselves new tricks, new opportunities,” says Lods. “If you think the last 3 years have evolved fast, imagine how fast the evolution will be five years from now. So, the tools, the tech, the adoption, the customization, the flexibility, the optimization, the automation, all of that becomes more opportunistic.
“People in these positions will need to be able to make strategic, informed decisions leveraging all these tools to benefit clients. And you can’t do that without asking the right question and having the desire to learn. So, I would say the desire and will to learn, without a doubt will be paramount.”
Thomas-Copeland identified, “Critical thinking will be really important in these positions. A strategic understanding of your client and the agency business, and how the two come together. Creative skills and the ability to find solutions. A big element of craft, just how things are made and packaged and positioned.”
Banderas Coffinet offers that to resolve the talent paradox, agencies must adopt several shifts. This includes looking at investment vs. cost and reclassifying entry-level hiring as a long-term investment in capability. It also requires a technology-enabled strategy, following models like PMG and Horizon, which treat AI as a development opportunity to free time for deeper client relationships. And finally, continuous growth is needed, shifting from annual reviews to continuous development conversations that mirror the speed of AI evolution.
The central question, she says, is whether agencies will build the talent systems required to lead. By investing in “skill-stacked” professionals through programs like MAIP and INH, the industry can ensure future leaders possess the human judgment that no AI can replicate.
Future Appeal of the Ad Industry
The Industry Must Continue Making Advertising Worth Joining
There’s growing concern around how younger workers perceive agency careers amid conversations around automation, burnout and instability. However, advertising still offers something uniquely compelling: creativity, cultural influence and deeply human work. The challenge ahead will be ensuring the industry continues creating environments where emerging talent sees opportunity, growth and a long-term future within the business.
Clearly articulate career growth, purpose and development opportunities in order to remain competitive for emerging talent.
With the publicized impacts of AI on ad agency employment and the shifting demands that junior hires will be facing in the years ahead, will the ad industry even be able to attract future generations to supply needed innovation and creativity?
“I think not everybody should consider entering the industry,” says Galanty. “There’s a big misconception of what this role actually is. I think ones that should come are ones that are actually passionate about media and how much it’s always evolving. I think that that’s why we’re actually talking about rewriting the job descriptions and making sure that it’s still very clear that this is execution based but at the same time, adding language to showcase that it’s evolving, You have to be really jazzed up about that. You have to be curious as to what the tasks will look like in this world in five years. You have to be somebody who understands that what the media looked like 20 years ago is not what it looks like now, but you want to be part of this ride and you’re curious about it. If all this excites you, join, Otherwise, don’t.”
“I wouldn’t come into this industry,” notes Lods. “We’ve ruined advertising. It was such an attractive experience 50 years ago. Now we’re automating it into the ground, and we’re automating mediocrity. And so, I’d tell most people coming out of college to entertain almost every other industry outside of advertising. And it’s really disappointing to say that. I personally would love to be a part of the change, to change that perception, to change that narrative.”
“The automating of associate and junior level talent is a perfect illustration of why we’re running this entire industry into the ground. It is an industry for people. We’re selling products and services to people. We’re losing sight of why this industry exists. It’s to make people and businesses better.”
One global chief people officer observed, “Many younger professionals view advertising as volatile because they’ve watched waves of layoffs and restructuring across the industry. At the same time, they’re comparing it to industries that feel more innovative or socially impactful. Advertising still offers something powerful: creativity at scale, influence on culture and the opportunity to shape brands people interact with every day. But the industry hasn’t always done a great job articulating that value to emerging talent. We need to be clearer about why this work matters.”
“Gen Z sees advertising as an industry that talks a big game about creativity and culture, but often delivers burnout, chaos and unclear paths forward,” says Winterton. “We have to close the gap between what we say and how we actually operate. For some, tech and consulting might be attractive options because those industries offer clarity— clear training, clear progression, clearer economics. Advertising can compete, but only if we stop being vague about growth. For those really wanting to be in creative industries I think there’s still a draw but there’s a lot more competition than ever before.”
“The industry will always have appeal,” says Thomas-Copeland. “It’s creative, inspirational and it’s good for business and for society. It’s an important outlet of showing insights into what people do in their behaviors and nuances. Advertising is a great mirror for that. It’s fun. How many fun industries do we have? And it’s inherently human. We love technology, but man, we love human.”
About the Author
Bill Daddi is President of DBC. Founded in 2005, DBC is an integrated communications and marketing services agency working exclusively in advertising, marketing and insights. For more information, visit www.dbc-agency.com.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Goldman Sachs
- Forrester
- Stanford University
- ADP payroll data
- Sunup survey
- Adweek
- eMarketer